My NXNE experience started off really poorly. I’d rant about that, but you can find all you need to know in Jeff Geady’s blog about the time and effort it took to pick up the laminates we’d been approved for months ago. However, in the end we got them and nights like last night are what makes these festivals so much fun.

The Hots @ the Supermarket (9 PM): The Supermarket was a pretty happening place to be last night, starting with the Hots and followed by Cancel Winter, Amos the Transparent, Great Bloomers and Angel Pier. That was, in my opinion, one of the best line-ups of the festival.

I manage the Hots so I really can’t say anything non-biased, but I was impressed with the crowd and the energy they exuded during their set. I was not impressed — and never have been impressed — with the brutal sound at the Supermarket. From what I’ve been told, this problem continued all night.

Medallions @ Rancho Relaxo (10 PM): I’m really stoked about Medallions, to be honest. Formed from the remnants of two notable bands for Canadian indie music fans (Controller Controller and Frontier Index), this new Toronto band left a favourable impression on me last night at the Rancho.

Of the two bands, I hear more similarities to Controller Controller for sure. The song structure, the guitar and even the drum beats will remind you of what was so great about that band. Medallions have a lot of vocals coming from their drummer too, which is always neat if done right. This is the beginnings of some really catchy indie rock that will definitely get people dancing. So why was their set was less than 25 minutes long?
Black Hat Brigade @ Neutral (11 PM): Watching these five guys attempt to maneuver around that stage without completely tripping over one another was entertaining. Black Hat Brigade are a band I’ve seen a few times now, and I have never been disappointed. They do need a bigger stage than this, though, to really be able to leave an impression.

It also seemed that an extra vocal mic could have been helpful… or a better vocal mic, for that matter. If you haven’t been to a BHB show, do yourself a favour and check one out. They are one of the few up and coming bands in the city who don’t seem in a rush to end their songs before they approach 4 minutes. Instead they allow really beautiful ebb and flow to develop as the songs crash into peaks and then rest in valleys, leaving you anxious for the next peak to come around again. I sort of hope the double percussion doesn’t become a trend because people will use it without knowing how to. If you want to see how it should be used, Black Hat Brigade are the band to see.

Young Rival @ Sneaky Dee’s (12 AM): This set didn’t do much for me at all. It was tight, but it felt way too safe for my liking. I like tight indie-rock, and I book bands that play it all the time at the Rancho. However, I like tight indie-rock that distinctly sounds like the band I am hearing. You could blindfold me and put me back in a bar tonight with Young Rival playing, and I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you that’s who it was. This band has a strong following and their future is bright. It’s just not for me.

The Darcy’s @ Sneaky Dee’s (1 AM): The Darcy’s actually are the perfect continuation to what I was saying above: a tight, dancey indie-rock band that does manage to still have a unique sound that remains very identifiable to their band.

To me, The Darcy’s exude that feeling you get from a band of very close friends rather than several musicians who just started playing together. Bands like that just seem to have a sense for what the other members are going to do and the songs always sound just a bit different because of it. I’m not sure I’m totally sold on the matching suits, but it definitely adds to the lasting mental image the listener has of the band. It might just be a touch too ragged for the more commercial success a band like Young Rival is having right now, but I think there is more longevity to this type of indie rock.

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